Abstract
Ecological communities are complex entities that can be maintained and structured by niche-based processes such as environmental conditions, and spatial processes such as dispersal. Thus, diversity patterns may be shaped simultaneously at different spatial scales by very distinct processes. Herein we assess whether and how functional, taxonomic, and phylogenetic beta diversities of frog tadpoles are explained by environmental and/or spatial predictors. We implemented a distance–based redundancy analysis to explore variation in components of beta diversity explained by pure environmental and pure spatial predictors, as well as their interactions, at both fine and broad spatial scales. Our results indicated important but complex roles of spatial and environmental predictors in structuring phylogenetic, taxonomic and functional beta diversities. The pure fine-scales spatial fraction was more important in structuring all beta diversity components, especially to functional and taxonomical spatial turnover. Environmental variables such as canopy cover and vegetation structure were important predictors of all components, but especially to functional and taxonomic beta diversity. We emphasize that distinct factors related to environment and space are affecting distinct components of beta diversity in different ways. Although weaker, phylogenetic beta diversity, which is structured more on biogeographical scales, and thus can be represented by spatially structured processes, was more related to broad spatial processes than other components. However, selected fine-scale spatial predictors denoted negative autocorrelation, which may be revealing the existence of differences in unmeasured habitat variables among samples. Although overall important, local environmental-based processes explained better functional and taxonomic beta diversity, as these diversity components carry an important ecological value. We highlight the importance of assessing different components of diversity patterns at different scales by spatially explicit models in order to improve our understanding of community structure and help to unravel the complex nature of biodiversity.
Highlights
Why is biodiversity distributed non-randomly throughout space? What determines the structure and patterns of biological diversity in communities? These are some of the key questions proposed by prominent naturalists and ecologists, such as MacArthur and Levins [1] and Diamond [2], over the last 100 years
In order to estimate Phylogenetic Beta Diversity (PBD), we constructed a pruned-tree based on the phylogenetic hypothesis of [36], which included only the species for our regional pool, which we considered to be all species recorded in the Serra do Mar coastal forests based on [37] (Fig 2)
One broad-scale Moran’s Eigenvector Maps (MEMs) and two fine-scale MEMs were selected for functional beta diversity (FBD) (Fig 3), four fine-scale MEMs were selected
Summary
Why is biodiversity distributed non-randomly throughout space? What determines the structure and patterns of biological diversity in communities? These are some of the key questions proposed by prominent naturalists and ecologists, such as MacArthur and Levins [1] and Diamond [2], over the last 100 years. A myriad of questions involving the factors that influence the origin and distribution of biodiversity has since emerged. It is widely recognized that biodiversity can be decomposed into three key components: taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities [3]. The first of these components, the classical measure of diversity at species level, results from species richness and relative abundance in a given community, without regards to evolutionary differences among species or other taxonomic levels (e.g. genus or families). The second component is the evolutionary history shared by species in a community, expressed as phylogenetic diversity [3,4]. The third component corresponds to the diversity of phenotypic traits of species in a community [5]
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